2012:096 - Barnahely, Cork

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Cork Site name: Barnahely

Sites and Monuments Record No.: CO87-048 Licence number: 12E0109

Author: Tony Cummins for Lane Purcell Archaeology

Site type: Ringfort

Period/Dating:

ITM: E 576862m, N 563867m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 51.826564, -8.335671

Three 2m-wide trenches were manually excavated at a ringfort in Barnahely townland as part of a preliminary site assessment in order to inform a potential research project. A metal detector (12R0040) was used during the excavation in order to aid in artefact recovery and a programme of on-site sieving was also employed. The bank along the west and south-west sides survives to height of 1m above existing internal ground level. The U-shaped ditch is partially open in these areas and measures up to 1.5m deep and 5.6m wide at top. The bank survives to the north and east as a denuded, low feature and the ditch is completely infilled in these areas. A gap in the bank in the north-west quadrant may mark the location of an entrance feature. The excavation project was preceded by geophysical and topographical surveys of the entire ringfort. The geophysical survey (Target Archaeological Geophysics: 11R0115) identified internal anomalies interpreted as the remains of probable hearth/kiln features and pits.

Trench 1
This trench extended southwards from outside the north end of the ringfort ditch and continued across a denuded section of the bank. It then extended for 15m into the west half of the enclosure and the south end was expanded to investigate a 5m² area containing a cluster of geophysical anomalies. The infilled ditch measured 2m deep by 5m wide at top and the sides gradually tapered to the 2.1m-wide rounded base. The six ditch fills were composed of silty clays containing occasional charcoal fragments, small stones and gravel deposits. The partially collapsed ringfort bank survived as an 8m wide by 1.4m high earthen feature disturbed by frequent animal burrows and gorse roots. The extent of disturbance was demonstrated by the presence of modern inclusions within the centre of the bank. The three main deposits in the north end of the bank were composed of sterile re-deposited subsoil and appeared to represent the core of the bank. Two linear U-shaped cuts were uncovered in the subsoil under the bank and both extended under the east and west baulks. The southern example measured 0.8m wide by 0.8m deep and contained four sterile sandy silt deposits while the northern example measured 0.6m wide by 0.4m deep and contained one sterile fill.
The depth of topsoil within the enclosure increased from 0.2m inside the bank to 0.8m at the south terminal of the trench. It contained moderate inclusions of post-medieval and early modern pottery, some of which were present at the base of the topsoil. Five east-to-west-orientated shallow linear features, a pit and two stone-lined cut features were uncovered in the subsoil. The linear features were uncovered under the shallow topsoil in the north half of the trench. They averaged 0.5m wide and survived as 0.05m deep, rounded cuts. The fills were sterile and no traces of associated post/stake-holes were noted. According to local information, the interior of the ringfort was under cultivation in recent decades and these features appeared to have originated from this activity. They were not identified in the geophysical survey, perhaps due to the shallow nature of the cuts in the subsoil. The absence of identified structural features in this area may be due to the presence of the nearby possible entrance to the north-west. A pit was partially exposed in the south end of the 2m-wide section of the trench. It extended for 1.2m from the west baulk and measured 0.47m deep by 0.8m wide. The presence of charcoal inclusions in the two fills and ephemeral traces of burnt subsoil along its sides and base were indicative of a kiln/hearth function.
An east-west orientated, stone-lined linear cut feature was partially revealed in the 5m² trench expansion. The east terminal was exposed within the trench while the opposite end extended under the west baulk. The visible extent of the feature measured 2.65m long and it ranged from 0.4m wide at east to 0.88m at the west baulk. Following consultation with the National Monuments Service, it was agreed to excavate a section through the backfill while leaving the stone lining in situ. The backfill was composed of three soil deposits with occasional inclusions of charcoal fragments. The subsoil at the base sloped gradually down from the east terminal and then extended as a flat surface towards the west baulk where the cut measured 0.94m in depth. The dry stone lining on both sides was composed of sub-angular field stones, with a possible quern stone noted in the south side. There were no traces of in situ or collapsed stone roof lintels identified. A similar stone-lined cut feature was partially exposed against the baulk in the north-west corner of the 5m² excavation area. This was orientated north to south and extended for 0.6m from the west baulk. A 1m by 0.6m sondage was excavated to a depth of 0.64m when the subsoil at the base of the cut was encountered. The dry stone lining on the east side was composed of six rough courses of field stones and three courses of stone lining were also noted in the north baulk. All of the exposed stone lining was left in situ. The cut contained two soil deposits, with moderate charcoal inclusions, and a rotary quern stone was recovered from the basal fill. The intersection between this feature and the similar east-west feature to the south extended under the baulk and it was not possible to ascertain their stratigraphic relationship. They are interpreted as the possible remains of at least one souterrain but this remains tentative as they were not identified in the geophysical survey and their full extent remains to be determined. The presence of two quern stones may also indicate a kiln function.

Trench 2
This 15m long trench commenced in the plough zone outside the south end of the ringfort and extended northwards across the infilled ditch, through the projected line of the bank and then continued for 4m inside the ringfort interior. The geophysical survey encountered massive magnetic interference in this area and this appears to have been caused by metal inclusions in spreads of modern dumped material in this area. The topsoil in the interior measured up to 0.8m deep and contained occasional modern inclusions. The truncated basal remains of the ringfort bank were revealed under the topsoil and it was faced by a possible internal stone revetment. The ringfort ditch measured 4.5m wide at top and the steep sides tapered slightly inwards before they turned to a 2.4m wide, flat base. The sterile ditch fills contained occasional large stones and were prone to flooding with groundwater during the excavation.

Trench 3
This 14m long trench extended in a north-west/south-east line through the north-east quadrant of the ringfort interior in order to intersect at a right-angle with a north-east/south-west linear geophysical anomaly. The topsoil was 0.8m in maximum depth and overlay a number of features cut into the subsoil. These comprised three post-holes, one stake-hole, four linear features and one possible north-east/south-west field drain. While the layout of the post- and stake-holes did not indicate the plan of a possible building, their presence nonetheless demonstrated the presence of structure(s) in the north-east quadrant. There were no traces of post/stake-holes noted in any of the linear features and their shared orientation and sterile fills were indicative of cultivation features. The potential that a number of the partially exposed linear features within this trench (and in Trench 1 to the west) may be archaeological in origin is not discounted.

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